New Invention Infant School
similar schools
New Invention Infant School is a council school in Willenhall for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 320 pupils, 50 more than it has places for. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 21 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 12% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in March 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Cannock Road, New Invention, Willenhall, WV12 5SA01922 710871invention-i.walsall.sch.ukMrs Debbie Ann Naffati headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 17 March 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 23 November 2021 | S5 Inspection | Good |
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (81 offers for 90 places). 78 families put it down as their first choice and 78 of them got in (100%).
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | First choices who got in | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 90 | 78 | 150 | 81 | 100% | – all offered | LA |
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 36 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 8 pupils, for speech, language and communication.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Walsall with speech, language and communication provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (40), Moderate learning difficulty (21), emotional and mental health (5), Other difficulty or disability (1), Severe learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 320 | 335 | 338 | 340 | 333 | 343 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 17% | 16% | 14% | 17% | 14% | 15% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 44% | 36% | 33% | 31% | 28% | 18% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 15% | 10% | 16% | 19% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 6% | 7% | 4% | 2% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.3% | 4.7% | 5.3% | 6.5% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.5% | 3.6% | 3.9% | 5.4% | 2.0% | 2.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.8% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 5.7% | 12.5% | 14.8% | 20.0% | 3.9% | 2.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Invention Learning Academy | Academy | 0 m | 362 | Report card 2026 | 94 | Compare |
| Beacon Academy | Academy | 700 m | 488 | Outstanding 2024 | – | Compare |
| Woodlands Academy of Learning | Academy | 700 m | 446 | Good 2023 | 57 | Compare |
| Pool Hayes Primary School | Academy | 820 m | – | Requires improvement 2023 | – | Compare |
| Oak Meadow Primary School | Academy | 1000 m | 412 | Report card 2026 | 97 | Compare |
| St Alban's Church of England Primary Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 191 | Good 2023 | 21 | Compare |
| Short Heath Junior School | Council | 0.8 miles | 305 | Good 2022 | 8 | Compare |
| Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 195 | Good 2023 | 22 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares New Invention Infant School with the 43 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 43 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 43 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than New Invention Infant School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 11.2 miles | 418 | Good 2023 | 88 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 21 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 21% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 10 to 44. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.54 | Ofsted report card, 0.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.05 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.17 | 2024/25; 193 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 5% | in line | +0.04 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 36 responses |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is New Invention Infant School a good school?
The figures are weak. New Invention Infant School scores 21 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 12% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 10 to 44, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is New Invention Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 17 March 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.
How many pupils does New Invention Infant School have?
320 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 270 places, so it is 119% full.
Is New Invention Infant School oversubscribed?
Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.
What is attendance like at New Invention Infant School?
Pupils were in school 95.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about New Invention Infant School?
92% of the 36 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 94% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at New Invention Infant School?
The average class had 23.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does New Invention Infant School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Cannock Road, New Invention, Willenhall, WV12 5SA
- Telephone
- 01922 710871
- Website
- www.invention-i.walsall.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Debbie Ann Naffati
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Walsall
- Ward
- Willenhall North
- Constituency
- Wolverhampton North East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 104187 · LAESTAB 3352114 · UKPRN 10070952
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Walsall council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.